Through its recurring depictions of insufficient resources at the camps, the Kolyma Tales illustrate the unaccountability that is pervasive in Stalin’s economic policies. In Carpenters, Potashnikov states how there was “never enough firewood” at the camps due to the fact that the nearest firewood source was a “four kilometer walk” away and every worker avoided that trek (Carpenters). Further, everyone slept in their “working clothes but even with the “extra warmth,” their hair would still be “frozen to the pillow” (Carpenters). The workers were subjected to miserable working conditions as they had insufficient heating and their clothes were practically useless in contending against the climate, which was more than “sixty degrees below zero”
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He was incompetent in his job because he was “hungry all the time,” suffered from “sleeplessness,” and also had “sixteen-hour working day[s]” despite being “new to this sort of work” (An Individual Assignment). Moreover, the mine was a ruthless workplace seeing as workers typically stole the “bread of a fellow inmate” or “bonuses of thousands of rubles”; theft was so prevalent there that it was considered as an ability of “primary virtue” (An Individual Assignment). Unfortunately, as he did not know “how to steal,” Dugaev had been “exhausted and hungry for a long time,” fulfilling only “twenty five percent” of his quota (An Individual Assignment). Yet, he was “surprised” by the percentage as he had considered it to be an “enormous amount” (An Individual Assignment). Dugaev certainly found the work to be very grueling due to the fact his shovel “picked up so little stone” and it was exceedingly difficult to “swing the pick” (An Individual Assignment). He was also hindered by the excruciating pain in his “calves,” “arms,” “shoulders”, and “head” hurt from leaning into the wheelbarrow” (An Individual Assignment). The story sadly culminates with night soldiers killing him for not meeting the quota; Dugaev had literally “worked for nothing” (An Individual Assignment). His train of thoughts underscore the incompetent …show more content…
In the first place, the foremen did not even “know their people” and made no attempt to do so or “help” Potashnikov in any way (Carpenters). The foremen’s ignorance showcase the extent of the arbitrariness within Stalinism as the lack of centralized organization in these camps proves how Stalin only cared about achieving rapid industrialization by any means and was rather neglectful in the finer details. Out of desperation to find more warmth, Potashnikov capriciously pretends to be a carpenter despite having no qualifications in carpentry. He felt his strength “leaving him every day” and accordingly, yearned for the “warmth of the carpentry shop,” where he could “kill time till dinner” (Carpenters). Even if the overseer of the carpenters sent him back to the “work gang” on the grounds that Potashnikov was uninformed in the process of “making an axe handle” or” sharpen[ing] a saw,” he would have still “be[en] warm” for at least one day (Carpenters). Potashnikov’s reasoning reveals the extent of irresponsibility within the gulag system as unqualified individuals could work in an unfamiliar field, so long as they could assimilate into their new jobs. Further, despite Grigoriev’s proclamation that he was a carpenter, he was just as untrained as Potashnikov; he had simply been a “graduate student at the
He was incompetent in his job because he was “hungry all the time,” suffered from “sleeplessness,” and also had “sixteen-hour working day[s]” despite being “new to this sort of work” (An Individual Assignment). Moreover, the mine was a ruthless workplace seeing as workers typically stole the “bread of a fellow inmate” or “bonuses of thousands of rubles”; theft was so prevalent there that it was considered as an ability of “primary virtue” (An Individual Assignment). Unfortunately, as he did not know “how to steal,” Dugaev had been “exhausted and hungry for a long time,” fulfilling only “twenty five percent” of his quota (An Individual Assignment). Yet, he was “surprised” by the percentage as he had considered it to be an “enormous amount” (An Individual Assignment). Dugaev certainly found the work to be very grueling due to the fact his shovel “picked up so little stone” and it was exceedingly difficult to “swing the pick” (An Individual Assignment). He was also hindered by the excruciating pain in his “calves,” “arms,” “shoulders”, and “head” hurt from leaning into the wheelbarrow” (An Individual Assignment). The story sadly culminates with night soldiers killing him for not meeting the quota; Dugaev had literally “worked for nothing” (An Individual Assignment). His train of thoughts underscore the incompetent …show more content…
In the first place, the foremen did not even “know their people” and made no attempt to do so or “help” Potashnikov in any way (Carpenters). The foremen’s ignorance showcase the extent of the arbitrariness within Stalinism as the lack of centralized organization in these camps proves how Stalin only cared about achieving rapid industrialization by any means and was rather neglectful in the finer details. Out of desperation to find more warmth, Potashnikov capriciously pretends to be a carpenter despite having no qualifications in carpentry. He felt his strength “leaving him every day” and accordingly, yearned for the “warmth of the carpentry shop,” where he could “kill time till dinner” (Carpenters). Even if the overseer of the carpenters sent him back to the “work gang” on the grounds that Potashnikov was uninformed in the process of “making an axe handle” or” sharpen[ing] a saw,” he would have still “be[en] warm” for at least one day (Carpenters). Potashnikov’s reasoning reveals the extent of irresponsibility within the gulag system as unqualified individuals could work in an unfamiliar field, so long as they could assimilate into their new jobs. Further, despite Grigoriev’s proclamation that he was a carpenter, he was just as untrained as Potashnikov; he had simply been a “graduate student at the